Five Shocking Lyme Disease Facts

Posted October 20, 2016byMosquito Shield

Ticks can be big trouble, as ticks are almost synonymous with Lyme disease. We have all heard of Lyme disease, but what is it exactly? Typically, Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from an infected deer tick. It is a bacterial infection you get from tick bites and can cause over three hundred different symptoms including severe long-term health problems. Unfortunately, your yard and outdoor living spaces may be a breeding ground for various species of ticks, including deer ticks. Below we discuss some Lyme disease facts, and how a tick treatment from Mosquito Shield can help eliminate your tick problem and alleviate your concern about Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease Facts You Should Know:

General blood testing done for Lyme disease has an accuracy of approximately 50%. This means the test is essentially a coin flip. There are actually laws in the USA which state that a doctor has to inform the patients that a negative result does not mean he or she does not have Lyme disease.

A person suffering from Lyme disease might take two to three years to get diagnosed properly. This late diagnosis can lead to chronic infection and, unfortunately, treatment provided in late stages increases the risk of treatment failure.

Lyme disease is a worldwide infectious disease. The Center for Disease Control reports that Lyme disease infects 300,000 people a year, which is 10 times more people than previously reported. Approximately 25% of the reported cases are children.

Lyme disease has the ability to withstand short-term antibiotic treatment. A two to four-week course of oral antibiotics is often recommended by the majority of expert doctors for Lyme disease treatment, however, there’s no guarantee that this treatment will eliminate all the pathogens. Latest research shows that these pathogens evade destruction by antibiotics and are highly adaptable.

Fewer than 50% of people infected get the bull’s eye rash, which is the telltale sign of Lyme disease. Some patients develop flu-like symptoms a week or so after becoming infected, however, many people are asymptomatic but can develop Lyme symptoms months, years or decades later. Making matters worse, it is called the “great imitator,” looking like many other health problems which add another degree of difficulty in the diagnosis.

Is There Anything You Can Do To Help Prevent Lyme Disease? While there is currently not a cure for Lyme disease, there are ways to help prevent deer ticks from invading your yard or outdoor spaces. Start by contacting the experts at Mosquito Shield, who can answer any questions you have on tick prevention. Their tick control specialists can create a strategy to help eliminate existing tick infestations and prevent new colonies from forming in your yard by implementing an effective tick barrier treatment that eradicates these pests before they can get to you, your family, and your pets. To learn more about ticks and the environments in which they thrive, visit our Tick FAQ page.